1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a retention device, a medical robot and a method to set the tool center point of a medical robot.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Robots are generally work machines that can be equipped with tools for automatic handling and/or processing of subjects and are programmable in multiple movement axes, for example with regard to orientation, position and workflow. Robots typically possess programmable controllers (control devices) that control the movement workflow of the robot during the operation.
Moreover, robots are increasingly used in medical technology, for example as carriers of patient positioning systems. For example, DE 10 2005 041 606 A1 discloses a patient positioning device to position a patient in an exposure position for a radiation therapy system. The patient positioning device comprises a patient retention module and a positioning arm moving the patient retention module; a therapy control center controls the movement of said positioning arm.
In the field of otorhinolaryngological (ENT) medicine, different illnesses affecting the sense of equilibrium exist. One example of such an illness is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), in which affected persons suffer from rotatory vertigo as soon as they change the position of their heads. This rotatory vertigo is triggered by a separation of otolith particles of the utricular spot, which then causes an irritation of the nerve cells in the semicircular canals of the affected ear, which in turn causes the vertigo.
The complaint can be treated with therapy through a specific positioning of the affected persons. The particles separate as a result of a targeted and geometric sequence of repositionings of the affected person and are swept into a region of the vestibule of the vestibular labyrinth where they no longer cause complaints.
Depending on the affected semicircular canals, the affected person is repositioned in part by means of complex sequences. In particular, the repositionings associated with the vertical and rear semicircular canals can be implemented only barely or not at all. Moreover, a relatively precise positioning of the affected person and the time workflow of the repositioning are likewise relatively critical. In order to achieve a relatively good therapeutic success, the movement of the affected person should ensue relative to the center of the affected vestibular organ (equilibrium organ).